Having bought my bargain Maplins lamp (cyber lite in disguise!) I'm really happy with it but the light is quite 'cold'.
I'd like to supplement it with a real flame of some sort so I've been looking at paraffin hurricane lamps. I had a look at an outwell one on the go outdoors website but the reviews were poor and said it leaks!
So are the cheap ones any good? There are loads on eBay but wondered if anyone has used one and can recommend a particular type or seller? Nice and cheap would be good, camping is costing me a fortune!
Used to use them years ago (before you could get anything else), but they really don't give out much light and, if not adjusted properly, give off lots of smoke and really stink.
There were some small ones in Poundland - no idea if they are any good, but I doubt it.
I can vouch for the Feurhand lamps - brilliant lamps and will burn for hours on one fill. I only use paraffin and the burn is clear, bright and will burn smoke free if the wick is not too high. They do give off fumes as expected but not too bad in a well ventilated tent for a short period (use mine under the tarp)
I got mine From Here . At £11.77 for the zinc and £17 for the coloured ones, it's the best base price you will find. I'm struggling to remember how much the postage cost (was last year) but it still made them the cheapest option and they arrived pretty quick.
Also look at These . Not used them but have a Petromax pressure lamp and the quality is well known.
Alfie
PS: Would be interested to know if you manage to find them other than online so do let us know.
------------- In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~ John Muir
Oh I lust for a Petromax pressure lamp. Maybe one day I will save the pennies and buy one!
Manage to find a Feuerhand in a local army surplus store. They only had the silver but at £19.99 I bought it to give it a go before splashing out on a coloured one.
My question now is about oil... I went to the local DIY store and they had 'Bird Brand Clear Lamp Oil' which I bought because it says it is ideal for indoor use. Looking at the bottle now though it doesn't say it's paraffin so will it be suitable for the feuerhand? I got this one because it's low fumes and low odour so perfect for tent situations.
Also, I'm keen to get a fuel which has citronella in it because the OH gets bitten alive by midges every year! Only problem is all the oils I can find which are citronella are outdoor use. Can I use one of these in a tent?
You might also want to consider doing a little modification to the lamp you've just bought.
As you know, it's very bright for an led lamp. There is a way to get a warmer light off it, at the expense of a little brightness.
1. Buy small box of chocolates that have yellow and orange clear wrappers.
2. Eat a chocolate.
3. Take the yellow or orange wrapper and put it over the 'bulb' in the lantern, slowly pulling an elastic band over it to hold it in place.
The light is not as bright, but it's very bright to kick off with. Heat shouldn't be an issue as the leds do not produce much at all, the 'bulb' of the lantern does not get hot.
Works very nicely and can be easily removed and reapplied.
Lamp oil is just a (supposedly) more purified version of paraffin - that said I've seen lamp oil that was very poor grade and quite expensive!
I've used Citronella indoors (mainly in the boat cabin) for years without any problems - i think it's just no-one is prepared to actually safety test it! At the end of the day there are plenty of skin products with it in. Rather than by Citronella lamp oil in bottles (which tends to be expensive) I just buy decent grade paraffin and add a few drops of neat oil - not always easy to get but you can find it.
I understand the Feurhand lamps are much better than the far-Eastern variety - my wick lamps all date back some considerable time (including one with a Victorian patent burner that came from a ships lamp and a couple of farm lanterns) so I can't comment personally! I can recommend the 500cp Petromax if you want to light up the whole campsite though!
Which has reminded me - must pack one of the farm lanterns when I go away next week for the tent - I'm taking 3 Tilley's but that's for area lighting!
Thanks Glen... I didn't know I could add essential oil to the lamp oil, assumed it might make it smoke or flare up! That's good then, I think I might have some in the cupboard so I'll try that. Do you just add 2 or 3 drops to a full lamp or more?
Lamp oil is readily available but the grade varies. You can pick it up at most garden centres, and I'm sure I've seen it in a supermarket. You can get indoor or outdoor, but as I said, the quality varies.
It's worth noting that lamp oil is generally slower at getting to the business end of the wick and this can cause problems with smoke/sooting if your wicks aren't perfect. Im wondering if adding essential oil to the mix may make things worse?? You have to take extra care with keeping the wick trimmed (not straight - take the corners off) I have used indoor lamp oil in a couple of brass oil lamps, but I find it needs a bit more attention than I care to give. I stick with premium paraffin for my camping lamps, and keep the lamps either outside or Inside with the doors and vents open.
As a side note I do something similar to Heatonparkmassive (I know Heston park well btw) I have one of These and I agree about the harsh white light. The lamp comes apart so I wrapped a peice of coloured Cellophane (craft grade) around the LED unit and it makes such a difference.
Let us know how you get on.
Alfie
Edit to say that it should read 'Heaton Park' not Heston park....bl***y iphone autocorrect....grrrrr!!
Post last edited on 03/08/2012 00:07:40
Post last edited on 03/08/2012 00:09:19
------------- In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~ John Muir
It's quite simple but not obvious if you don't know, so a genuine question to ask.
There are many ways to trim a wick depending on what flame you want - you can even get a wick to burn with a double flame - but for normal everyday use you just want a decent flame that doesn't smoke.
Firstly trim the wick straight across making sure there is no fraying. Next take off the corners but don't cut so much off that the wick forms a point - you'll get a long flame if you do, and that's not suitable for a hurricane lamp. You should re-trim your wick when it gets very charred or starts burning with an uneven flame. Best way to get the right burning length is to turn the wick up till it smokes and them turn it down slowly till the smoke stops - that should give you optimum light....obviously you can turn it lower if you want...
Alfie
------------- In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~ John Muir
I have a feuerhand lantern and I love it. The quality seems to be really good and it doesn't leak. There are a few rust spots on it now but it's in its 3rd year of excessive use. I burn citronella in it and it gives off a lovely glow.
They're more expensive than most of the others available ( I think I paid £25 for mine) but if I broke it I'd replace it with exactly the same again.
------------- Mar - Milarrochy Bay - 9 days
Apr - Drayton Manor - 1 day
May - Saxdale - 4 days
May - Nantcol - 9 days
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July - Rozel Bay - 14 days
Aug - Corfe Castle - 2 days
Aug - Saxdale - 4 days
Sep - Stratford - 2 days
Oct - Stainforth - 2 days
Dec - Saxdale - 5 days
To be continued.....
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Topic: Hurricane Lamps?
